Method of inspecting a DNA chip and apparatus thereof

Abstract

A DNA inspecting apparatus including driving means for relatively changing positions of the multi-spot lights and a position of the DNA chip so as to detect the fluorescent lights in such a manner that a desired area on the DNA chip is irradiated with the multi-spot lights, and a control system for determining and inspecting DNA information about the to-be-inspected DNA chip from fluorescent light intensities and fluorescent light positions of the desired area on the DNA chip, the fluorescent light intensities and the fluorescent light positions being detected by the driving means and the fluorescent light detecting means.

1. A DNA inspecting apparatus including an excitation light irradiating system for irradiating a DNA chip with excitation lights from an excitation light light-source and a fluorescent light detecting system for detecting fluorescent lights generated from a fluorescent material on said DNA chip, comprising:
 a multi-spot excitation lights-generating optical system for causing a plurality of M excitation lights to be simultaneously generated on said DNA chip as multi-spot excitation lights, said multi-spot excitation lights having a spot diameter d that is equal to or smaller than a dimension D of a large number of L cells existing on said DNA chip, 
 an objective lens for causing said fluorescent material to be simultaneously irradiated with said multi-spot excitation lights in said dimension d, said fluorescent material being added to a DNA fragment on said DNA chip, 
 a beam splitter for guiding said obtained fluorescent lights to a fluorescent light detecting optical path through said objective lens, 
 fluorescent light detector to separate and detect said fluorescent lights generated by said multi-spot excitation lights, and 
 a control system which arranges said plurality of M excitation lights onto said DNA chip on a straight line with a spacing of substantially kd with reference to said spot diameter d and an integer k, and repeats an operation in sequence k times, said operation being an operation where, after said irradiation with said plurality of M excitation lights has been performed during said time Δt, said array is displaced in a direction of said array by substantially d and said irradiation is performed again during said time Δt, and thereby executes said inspection toward kM spot positions in said array direction, and displaces said DNA chip and said objective lens relatively at least in a direction perpendicular to said array direction, and thereby inspects said desired 2-dimensional area on said DNA chip. 
 
     
     
       2. The DNA inspecting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said multi-spot excitation lights-generating optical system generates said plurality of M excitation light spots simultaneously, said plurality of M excitation light spots being arranged in a 1-dimensional or 2-dimensional manner with a fixed pitch on a straight line. 
     
     
       3. The DNA inspecting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of M excitation lights is formed by a microlens array. 
     
     
       4. The DNA inspecting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of M excitation lights is formed by a hologram.